


Little Witch Academia: The Wizard in Time

by WaywardBot



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Original Character(s), Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:42:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24785605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaywardBot/pseuds/WaywardBot
Summary: A fledgling wizard finds his life turned upside down as his fate becomes intertwined with the fates of two wielders of the legendary Claimoh Solais: Chariot du Nord, the first wielder, and Atsuko Kagari, the successor of the Shiny Rod.
Relationships: Amanda O'Neill & Original Character(s), Atsuko "Akko" Kagari & Original Character(s), Chariot du Nord & Original Character(s), Croix Meridies & Original Character(s), Woodward (Little Witch Academia) & Original Character(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 6





	1. Jericho Franklin Jr.

In the early hours of the morning, Luna Nova is already up and busy. It's unlike any other mornings in Luna Nova, there's a special atmosphere going around the academy. The fairies are already up and about far before sunrise, and the headmistress herself is awake, making sure all is well and prepared before the big event. Luna Nova's opening ceremony will be held today, and along with it, new students will arrive. The preparations had been tiring for the fairies and teachers alike, hence why there is no sign of teachers walking around at this hour. The headmistress had asked the teachers—or even forced the stubborn ones—to take good rest before the big day. Which is why the Headmistress is alone right now, accepting an early morning meeting with someone that normally deserves a warmer welcome alone.

"Decline again this year", the headmistress says as she looks out the window. Outside, the cold and dark still dominates the early morning landscape.

Something more intriguing than the annual decline of applicant witches stops the headmistress's train of thought. She looks up to the woman beside her and says, "It's quite unusual for the ministry to send one of their Guardians here".

The woman the headmistress is addressing is a young woman in her late 20’s of tall stature. Her name is Michelle Oliver, and she works for the Royal Ministry of Magic, serving as a Guardian. You could say she’s a detective for the witchcraft and wizardry world. Or at least, that is what she tells people whenever she doesn't feel like explaining. If she's feeling charitable, she'd tell them that the Guardians are a long-established division that has the main purpose of overseeing and investigating forbidden magical practices across the country’s domain of authority. But of course, that's still saying too little to do the reclusive and ancient group justice. She only tells some people this profession. To the rest, she’d simply tell them she teaches in the Tower, a reclusive place for learning witchcraft and wizardry.

"Ministry's orders", Michelle says. "Schools need overseeing from time to time. They'd been interested with the developments of young wizard and witches, lately".

"Their developments are indeed very interesting to observe, but for the ministry to be so interested, there _has_ to be something else they have in mind".

Michelle answers the headmistress's inquisitive remark with nothing but silence, and Holbrooke is reminded once again that no matter how close they are, Michelle has her own professional secrets to keep.

Nonetheless, Michelle feels the urge to make some sort of answer. "Maybe they've listened to all my vacation pleas and gave me this instead".

Headmistress Holbrooke chuckles. Yet however humorous Michelle's answer is, Holbrooke could tell that it's a way for her to signal Holbrooke that she won't get anywhere asking these sorts of questions. Believing it’s time to change the subject, the headmistress asks, "So how about your student, from the Tower? I expected him to come with you yesterday".

"He had to stay behind at the Tower till yesterday, got something he needed to do back home".

"Nothing troublesome, I hope?"

“No, not exactly”.

The headmistress smiles comfortingly. “It must be hard leaving friends. I understand if he’ll feel uncomfortable doing that and making new friends here”.

“Well, he’s not leaving anyone important in the Tower, so I can’t say you’re right. The rest? You’re right, I believe he’ll have some trouble adjusting in this place”.

Michelle looks outside the window and down to the open courtyards of Luna Nova. It's very quiet, not a soul, be it man or fairy stir down there with all the available manpower directed in preparation for the ceremony in the main hall. Michelle is reminded of the time she spent staying away from that courtyard when she was little. The reason for this is the three statues situated there. Michelle remembered perfectly the first time she saw her mother enchant a statue and made it move. Michelle was very young back then, and she was petrified by the un-petrified. She could remember vividly still how the lifeless became living, how their sightless eyes gained sight, and how it's cold hard limbs gained the ability to move, The image haunts her sleep for many nights in her youth. Ever since then, young Michelle always feared the sight of lifelike statues, fearing that it'll just open their eyes and pull Michelle away with their stone-cold hands.

Ironically, Michelle finds solace when she’s remembering those simple times with those simple fears. The world seems so simple then and all she had to fear were statues. For a second, she feels an odd envy to the students here including her own who still lives in the same bliss she was in, where their biggest problem in the universe is how they’ll adjust to a new school or the stupid crushes they have with one another. But now, so much have changed, and Michelle can’t remember the last time her nightmares are about statues. Everything’s changing. Not just for her or here, but for everyone, everywhere, and everything.

One of those big changes is even happening today, with Michelle about to be a witness of it.

"Still can't believe you're letting him in", Michelle remarks, her eyes still planted on the courtyard, breaking her lengthy silence.

"Not just him". Miss Holbrooke reminds her. She grows sombre. "It's inevitable. I fear the days of an all-girls or all-boys wizarding school are numbered, seeing how, overall, our numbers _are_ declining".

"I agree", Michelle says as she rests her hands on the windowsill and keeps staring outside. The wind picks up, and the trees in the forest beyond Luna Nova sway along with it. She imagines it must be cold outside. "Everything's changing. Everything’s getting better except for magic—what a crazy world".

* * *

**WaywardBot presents**

**In (no) association with Studio Trigger**

**Little Witch Academia:**

**The Wizard in Time**

* * *

Sitting on a green hill, overlooking the quiet town of Blytonbury, stands the Glastonbury Tor. The pre-Christian era structure’s height and position makes it the first to witness the rising sun every dawn. The Tor is usually lonely, but today, it will see many visitors come and go due to Luna Nova’s semester starting today. But that will come hours from now. This early, fresh dew still lingers on the grass, the birds just started to sing, the sun is yet to fully bloom from its petals that is the horizon (so the air is unthinkably cold), and only one solitary figure stands accompanying the ancient stone structure.

Jericho Franklin Jr stands beside the terminal alone. The young wizard dares not to lean on the ancient structure’s stone wall no matter how tired he is from the journey here and he positions himself on the eastern side of the structure, all so he wouldn’t get cold from touching the wall and get as much heat as soon as the sun passes the horizon. He rubs his hand and pulls his coat tighter round his lean body, but to no avail, he still shudders to the cold.

 _Why didn’t I wear warmer clothes?_ The young wizard thinks to himself as he rubs his hands together furiously. _And why is the sun not rising already? At this rate the sun will rise from the west before this one rises from the east._

A year ago, it would be unthinkable for him to be here. Afterall, this Ley Line leads to the best witchcraft school in Europe, not the best wizarding school in Europe. If there were uninformed locales around, they’d give him odd looks. Luckily for the wizard, this place is quiet this early in the morning so there’s nobody doing that, nor will he be forced to inform them on about the school’s recent policies.

But confusion would not only come from him being a wizard, but also from his punctuality. Any sane student wouldn’t be here this early. But the reason he’s willingly braving the cold—aside from his own sense of punctuality—is for one major reason: to find some early birds he could hitchhike. This was Michelle’s advice. He knew from her that to access the Ley Line terminal—the only possible route to the school—he'd need to use a broom.

Before the school semester starts—when every student on earth spends the days trying to get as much relaxation as they could before school starts again—Jericho spent his time preparing for Luna Nova’s famed high standards. He studied to prepare himself for Luna Nova’s curriculum, trained bi-weekly to not leave his figurative magical muscles cold, and of course, practice the broom. His preparations paid off, all except for one. Despite his efforts, Jericho still couldn’t master the broom. And it was not for lack of effort. Despite his hatred for physical exercises, he had practiced broom riding consistently. But as the day of the opening ceremony draws closer and he could barely float, Michelle—one of his teachers in the Tower—suggested a change of tactic. As expected of the pragmatic witch, her advice was to wait by the terminal, put his best face on, and try to hitch a ride. Her argument for the importance of arriving very early is that catching a ride could be difficult and slow. She argued that not everyone will be willing to give him a ride, and those who’s willing could be dissuaded by the added weight slowing the broom down, which could potentially make them late for the important ceremony.

Jericho would lie if he said he didn’t feel humiliated that the ending of his pre-semester training ended in an unsatisfactory note, left with no choice but to accept defeat. But the young wizard is not the kind of person to let pride be his downfall and instead saw wisdom in humility; he’d rather lose face than lose the chance to study in one of the most prestigious witching schools in Europe.

But there’s another problem that eclipses—while at the same time related to—his inability to fly. A problem existed as far back as the day Jericho decided to pick up the wand, now resurfaced like an old phantom that comes back to haunt Jericho. Jericho’s chiefest source of anxiety today isn’t the fact that he can’t fly, but how he’ll explain _why_ he can’t fly. He’s anxious of this, because he figured there’s a high possibility the person offering him help will ask this.

 _‘Why do you need to hitchhike? Why can’t you just fly?’_ Answering that won’t be a matter of pride—it’d be a matter of something else entirely. A thousand scenarios run in Jericho’s head now, all about how to answer that question. _What am I going to say? If I’m lucky I’d run into someone who doesn’t like to talk and just stay quiet. It’d be a nightmare if I run into the talkative or perceptive ones. No, even worse, the witch purists…_

The sound of footsteps takes Jericho away from his thoughts. He turns and finds a lone girl climbing the hill. The girl is wearing a uniform recognizable in a glance. It's what the students of Luna Nova wear. The only other feature her uniform has that's unique is the blue sash and ribbons it sports. They complement the girl's beautiful blonde hair and sharp blue eyes well.

Jericho was expecting someone to come by, but not this quickly. Combined with him being too consumed with running scenarios in his head, he wasn’t prepared at all. Before he knew it, the witch passes by the young wizard without him speaking a word.

"Morning", she says politely.

"Good", he abruptly greets back.

_Good? What kind of reply did I just make?_

There're no further words spoken after that simple pleasantry. She goes on with her business, entering the terminal, while Jericho stands still and quiet outside. He realizes this is what he’d been waiting for, but despite all the scenarios he run in his head, he hadn't decided on how he’s going to ask for a hitchhike.

Fearing she could depart any second, Jericho clears his throat even before he figured out what to say.

"Are you going into the Ley Line?" he asks. It's not lost to him how stupid that question is considering she's already inside there and already has her broom on her hand. "I-I mean, Luna Nova. Are you going to Luna Nova?"

"Yes, I am", the girl nods. She speaks evenly, calm and collected, a contrast to him. "I'm a student there".

Jericho initiates the hitchhike gesture with his thumb, only to tentatively modify its direction into 'up' after a second though.

"This must sound sudden, but do you mind if I ask a ride there?"

"What business do you have in Luna Nova?" she asks directly. The girl’s eyes narrow.

Jericho realizes he must sound suspicious. He’s aware how reclusive witches are. Considering he’s not wearing anything that indicates he’s a wizard, like a pointy wizard hat, she’s not wrong to think he’s nosey tourist trying to disturb the school’s peace.

"I need to go there, actually. For the…" He fidgets on the spot and his voice reduces to a whisper. "…graduation ceremony".

The girl's sharp eyes immediately widen. "Ah, so you're a new student?"

"Y-yes, yes I am", he nods, a bit too much and too quickly than he’d like. "I heard that even the wizards—"

"Ah! You're among the first batch of wizards?"

Jericho pauses and blink a few times at her second surprise at that later fact.

Awkwardly, he answers, "Yes, I’m one of the few male students".

_Was that not obvious? Maybe it’s just that the news is fresh to her and she wasn’t expecting to run into one this quickly._

"You should've said so from the beginning", the girl says, offering a light, polite smile. She moves forward on her broom and beckons him over. "I'll take you there. But do mind, we’ll be a bit slow with the added weight".

The wizard beams as he rubs his arms. “That’s exactly why I’m here this early. Thank you. But why are you here this early?”

The girl glances around, noting the quietness of the hill. “Good question. Looks like we’re the only ones insane enough to be here this early. I have a few responsibilities for the opening ceremony, so I’m expected to come early”.

She offers a polite smile. “Don’t worry, though. We’re both early enough that slower travel wouldn’t jeopardize both our agendas”.

The girl steers her broom through Ley Line with fine familiarity. The smooth and effortless piloting despite the added weight tells Jericho that, aside from her familiarity with this Ley Line, she must be a good rider.

"Ah, where are my manners", the girl speaks, ridding the silence the two had since the broom ride had started. "My name's Diana, Diana Cavendish".

"Diana", he remarks. Feeling how familiar that name sounds and how nice such foreign name rolls on his tongue. "I guess I haven't properly thanked you, Diana. So, thank you, for not making me late to the graduation ceremony".

 _And thank you for not asking too many questions_ , the wizard thought but dares not to say. Diana will probably never know how grateful and lucky he feels today, running into someone tact and benevolent like her. All the worrying was for naught, thankfully.

"The pleasure is mine", Diana replies without looking back. "What's your name?"

"Jericho", he answers. "Jericho Franklin Jr. You can call me whatever you want but Junior”.

"You won't be disappointed with the academy, Jericho", Diana begins again. "Luna Nova has many great teachers that produce great graduates, we're proud of our respectful history in education and learning…"

As she goes on with her explanations, it becomes apparent how proud Diana is of her academy. She speaks of it with high regard and seems very knowledgeable about all things surrounding it too. She knows information one would expect to find in travelling brochures tucked away on those little drawers in hotel rooms. The lengthy and should-be-boring lecture she's giving Jericho doesn't feel so when she's expressing it with such pride and passion. Jericho couldn’t help but be infected with her feelings.

“They also provide standard brooms for students. So, fret not, you’ll be able to fly soon”.

“R-really? That’s nice”. The wizard chuckles embarrassedly. _So, this must be the reason she didn’t question why I needed hitchhike—she deduced I didn’t have a broom. I’m glad I didn’t need to explain, but now she’s probably thinking I’m poor._

The ride there isn't a long way, but it isn't a short one either, so there's plenty of time for the two to converse, though it's mostly one sided. The young wizard stays quiet with the occasional responses of 'yes' and 'no' and other slight variations of it when the inevitable small questions arise from Diana.

However, once they exit the Ley Line and Luna Nova spreads before them, Diana says nothing and lets Jericho take in the view peacefully. To say that the building is beautiful would be an understatement—it is a work of art. Its Victorian era architecture shows its age, but its magnificently well-kept white walls indicate its modernity. Two towers stand at the distance, one of them much taller than the school's main building itself, and atop of it, a green light is emitted by the sorcerer's stone it houses.

"Welcome to Luna Nova", Diana remarks, her proud smile lost to him as he’s captivated by the scenery.

She steers the broom downwards and brings them to the ground. Jericho takes a moment to breathe in the fresh air. The place is far from any town and is surrounded by a vast green forest, one that reminds the young wizard of the one surrounding his old place of study back in the Tower. The air here feels incredibly fresh and natural, even more so than that hill the terminal sat.

"Do you know where you need to go now?" Diana asks as she walks up beside Jericho.

"I know where to go but not where it is. I'm supposed to go to the Headmistress's office first before any place else".

"I'll take you there. It's in the same direction as where the ceremony will take place, after all".

The interior of the school is as magnificent as its exterior. The young wizard spends most of their walk to the headmistress’ office looking up and just taking in the place's vast beauty that he begins to hurt his neck.

They pass through the main hall. Its doors are left ajar and inside Jericho could see worker fairies doing their business. There are hundreds of chairs prepared in there, reminding Jericho of how vast the number of students this school has.

Out of all the wonders the school instils on him, one stands out for him.

"I wonder how many male students are going to be here…"

"Not that many", Diana replies. "There're only a few open seats for the new male students. The school had to limit them to ease administration and handling. No doubt they'll increase it after initial success of this wave, which you’re a part of".

"Administration", Jericho hums. "Makes sense, and that's great. I can't imagine if I'm the only male student in the entire school".

It's not long until the two reach the Headmistress's office. He’s quite puzzled as to what would be appropriate to say to the headmistress or how to even start, so he’s immensely grateful that Diana takes the initiative and knocks on the door and enters first.

She says, "Miss Holbrooke, a student is here to see you".

Diana comes in and the fledgling wizard follows. The headmistress greets both witches with a warm smile.

"Ah, Mr. Franklin, you're finally here", the headmistress says.

Jericho’s surprised she recognizes him and figured it must be Michelle’s work.

Headmistress Holbrooke turns to Diana. "Thank you, Diana, for showing him the way here".

"It's no trouble. We're going to the same direction, after all".

Diana glances at a clock, a wooden pendulum one situated at the edge of the room, and says, "I'm sorry to be abrupt, but I'm afraid I'm needed elsewhere, so if I'm no longer needed here I shall take my leave".

"Go on, Diana. I'll see you at the ceremony", Miss Holbrooke says with a nod.

Diana nods and takes her leave. She turns to Jericho as she passes by and says, "See you there too. And remember, failure to arrive on time would result in immediate expulsion".

"R-right, you too".

Seeing her go, the young wizard thinks to himself: _that wasn't the most reassuring goodbye I've heard, but I guess her intention was good?_

Seeing that the ceremony is still a few hours away (that was how early Jericho and Diana was), Miss Holbrooke decided it is best for him to get familiar with the place as early as possible. While the more general socialization and tour around the school is reserved for later with the rest of the students, the headmistress believes he could use a head start on the places and info specifically important for him as a wizard. Namely, his room and the norms of this school and the people in it. Because even more overwhelming than the size and architecture of the school is the strict discipline, rules, customs, and norms this school has. Jericho notes he must work hard to keep up with them.

"Michelle couldn't receive you right now, sadly”, she says at one point. “She's busy preparing for some business of hers".

_That’s the least surprising thing today._

“She spoke highly of you, you know?”

The young wizard couldn’t believe her at first.

“R-really?”

 _Did she really say that? Sounds unlikely, coming from her. But maybe she did…_ Just as the good feeling comes, the wizard dispels it with the more probable explanation. _I’m pretty sure she said that just to make her and the Tower look good._

The headmistress’ chief objective is to show the room where he'll be staying. It's a big room, bigger than I first anticipated. It surprisingly has stairs that lead to a small and partially dusty second floor, its floor only covering half the room which makes the second floor from the bottom. A safety net hangs from one edge of the second floor's end to another. Something tells me this isn't supposed to be a dormitory room, judging from the odd design, and the Headmistress soon confirms this.

"This used to be a storage room", Miss Holbrooke explains as she looks up to the ceiling. "We've already made two new ones on the third floor so this one is no longer used. Only recently we renovated this".

"No complains here", Jericho replies, contend with the superior size of the room. He happily notes that his belongings had been placed here by the goblins. They've offered to do so the moment Diana and Jericho stepped into the school. There's even a fishbowl prepared on a desk.

"Michelle told me of your pet. Luckily, Professor Pisces has some spare fishbowls to share".

_Huh, some adults love fish so much they have spare fishbowls lying around, huh? Well I’m not one to judge. Frank Francis the Third, the greatest goldfish in existence, will find this fishbowl a fine tribute._

Said goldfish is swimming in a water bottle tucked safely deep in his luggage.

"Well pass my thanks to her if you meet her. I’m very grateful for this”, the wizard says as he inspects the quality fishbowl. Offhandedly, he asks, “and I'm to share this room with my soon to be decided roommates? Three makes a team, right?"

"If they do arrive, that is".

The headmistress’ somewhat sombre tone catches his attention and makes him look. He’s surprised to find worry in her downward-cast eyes.

He raises a brow and carefully asks, "They _are_ coming, right?"

"We all hope so. I mean, the school had just started opening for wizards for the first time since its establishment ages ago. But the fact is, it takes time for wizards to be interested in joining what formerly was an all-witches school, not to mention one that is in decline. Instead, most are more interested in spending their money on prestigious and well-established wizarding schools. They're a better investment, to say simply".

"You're saying you're not sure there'll be more male students besides me?"

"No one is, not until they show up here for the ceremony! Of course, we've already received application letters and accepted them, but what ultimately decides whether they'll be here or not is the students themselves. Maybe some of them already got accepted but had a last-minute change of idea and decided not to come in the ceremony, immediately forfeiting. It has happened with girl students in the past, it's not irregular".

_I mean, you could use divination magic to find out, but okay._

With this new information added to Jericho’s pile of pressures, he silently sighs. "I hope they come", he says, dread silently hinted in his words. "I really hope they come".

"I really do hope so too, else you'd be alone here and, most importantly, team-less. That'd not just be trouble for you, but it'll be an administrative headache too".

"Yes, yes", Jericho replies, nodding. _Of course, the worst consequence: the administrative headaches that could bring!_

"Yes, that’s right. Administrative headache”, Miss Holbrooke reaffirms with a nod. "Now, you'll find your uniform inside the drawer in your room. Change to it and once you're done you go straight to the ceremony room. We wouldn't want you to be late, Mr Franklin".

They young wizard was halfway to the drawer when he pauses and asks. "But how about the ribbons, I thought I'm supposed to choose it or something?"

"You'll get to decide it later", Miss Holbrooke cries from across the room, already halfway out the door. "Now get going! You don't want to be late for the ceremony!"

The wizard finds the standard Luna Nova uniform in the drawer, just as promised. Once he wears this, there’s no going back. He suddenly feels nervous at the thought.

_Enrolling in a new school is already nightmarish enough for me, but an all-witches school? That’s just something else._

Of course, most boys would dream to be in the young wizard’s shoes right now, with all the prospects of being one of the few male students in a school filled with young, beautiful, rich, and talented girls. But being a pessimistic biscuit as he is, Jericho focuses more on the troubles his odd situation would entail. Prime among them being the possibility for being alienated in the school.

He shakes his head and grabs the uniform. _But before that comes, I must get enrolled in the school in the first place. That means I have to save these hesitant thoughts for later._

Once he finishes changing, he takes a look at himself in a mirror. The uniform consists of a long navy-blue hooded tunic, a pair of boots, a selection between trousers or its shorter knee-length variant, and the most important piece, a pointy wizard hat. They’re all uniformly navy-blue in colour. For the trousers, Jericho chooses the full length one.

The wizard gingerly takes the wizard hat and wears it. Looking at the mirror, he checks himself, twisting and turning in front of the mirror. The navy-blue colour fits well with his black hair, dark eyes, and light Asian skin. They fit his lean body perfectly, which leads Jericho to believe the Tower's administration had exchanged details about him with Luna Nova prior to this day. Not that he's complaining. The uniform looks good on him, after all. Despite this, a face full of troubles and nervousness looks back at him in the mirror. Jericho attempts to turn it upside down, but he could barely smile for a second before he gets embarrassed and wipes the smile from his face.

_Ugh, I hope no one saw that._

His uniform still lacks the coloured belt for the tunic and ribbon for the hat. And already Jericho thinks on what the colour would look best for him.

_Maybe I shouldn’t think too much on the options now. The ceremony would already end before I come to a decision._

With that decided, Jericho leaves his room for the opening ceremony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This concludes the first chapter of this fanfic, which I’ll tell you now, will be very long indeed. How do I know this? Well its because this fanfic is actually a rewrite of an original I wrote in Fanfiction dot Net. I knew that website before this one, and instead of just posting the full original here as well, I waited patiently until I figured out a good way to rewriting the story and start posting them here. As it stands, the original have around 30 chapters. I enjoy the later half, but the early parts of the fanfic was unsatisfactory for me. So this rewrite basically streamlines and improves the first act of the fanfic. If you’ve ever watched Fullmetal Alchemist, then this rewrite is like the Brotherhood version.  
> If you’re curious, you’re free to read the original version of the same name on fanfiction dot net. But be reminded that the first act, which is like the first 10 chapters of the fanfic, isn’t that good.  
> And since this is a rewrite, any follow, favourite, and especially review will be very helpful for me as a writer, because as it stands, I’m trying to gauge just how good this rewrite is compared to the original. Without feedback I wouldn’t know if it’ll be worth it to work on a rewrite instead of continuing on the original. So, I’ll be immensely grateful if you could spare the time to give me your thoughts on this rewrite. Any review is accepted, so don’t shy away from negative reviews. They actually give me more materials to improve. Especially regarding the OC. I’m very curious of what you guys think of my take on what a wizard would be in the LWA canon universe.  
> I know I’m writing a fanfic here, but I can’t resist imagining this story as a real anime. And any anime needs a good Opening and Ending song. I imagine that the Opening for this first arc is Digimon Adventure’s opening, Butterfly, by the late Wada Kouji. There’s just something magical, adventurous, young, innocent and naïve about that song which I think would fit Little Witch Academia if the story revolves around a wizard and not a witch. That opening guitar rift… perfect for a first and nostalgic. Just replace all the characters and places with Little Witch Academia and you’ll get (in your head) the best opening for the season. For the ending, I imagine Tsuioku Merry-Go-Round by Onelifecrew to be perfect. Now Fairy Tail isn’t an amazing anime, but it has some good endings, this being one of them.  
> Now why am I saying this? Well, you ever listened to the same song on repeat at one point of your life that when you listen to it today, the song also reminds you of what you’re doing in that point in life? Well, that also applies to me when I play a song on repeat when I read a story. Whenever I hear the song again I’m reminded of the story, even though they both originally have no connection other than I like listening to the song when reading the story. I suggest you do this with me with this fanfic and these songs, because it’s insanely nostalgic. Not to mention, it’s fun to imagine this story as an anime that has legit openings and endings.


	2. Professor Ursula, the Magic Astrology Teacher

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to the proof-reading team: Muset and Romanviking. Some lines in this chapter won't be as good as they are if I didn't get corrected every now and then. So not all the praises (if there's any to begin with) should go to me. And of course, a thank you as well to you readers and reviewers who make this fanfic happen. I'm glad the feedback is good so far. You certainly helped me get hyped to write this and the original.
> 
> The first rewrite chapter isn't starkly different from the original. I'm quite proud to say this second chapter is almost entirely from scratch, with only a few segments borrowing and modified from the original. Ultimately, I'm happy with the end results.
> 
> For the best reading experience, larger and change the fonts to your taste, narrow the paragraphs to 3/4 or 1/2 (seriously these first two are important it makes the page look like a book) and keep a healthy distance for your eyes. For an even better reading experience, read the chapter while listening to HunterXHunter's soundtrack. I was listening to it when I was writing this and they just fit the scenes entirely. Particularly, when Jericho is saying his goodbyes to Michelle, the soundtrack that played on loop was 少年の朝の歌 (or Manha do Menino). I don't know why, but HxH's OSTs have strong LWA vibes, especially ハンター マーチ(or Hunter March in English) which sounds almost exactly like an LWA soundtrack. Hey, maybe you can even listen to HunterXHunter's opening, Departure by Galneryus, instead of Kouji Wada's Butterfly while you're at it.

The morning after the opening ceremony is unusually dark. Cimmerian clouds stretch from horizon to horizon, laying mists across the green hills and forests that block warmth and light from the sunrise, making the morning seem earlier than it should. Cold and dark, it's the perfect weather to stay in one's bed and shriek all responsibilities. However, one young wizard is already up and awake. The first day of his new school won't start for an hour more. But important news awaits Jericho from his former teacher, and he could not delay; today marks the day Michelle leaves Luna Nova for the Tower where she'll resume her routines. The weather makes it uninviting for flight, but little inconveniences like that never stopped Michelle.

Beads of sweat trickle from Michelle's face as her trembling hands wrestle an overloaded suitcase down the steps leading to the front yard of the academy, where her broom is being prepared by goblin attendants. The luggage haphazardly keeps swinging around resisting her control, nearly hitting Jericho and a goblin porter who just arrived to offer help to Michelle.

"It's the souvenirs and sweets", Michelle explains to both wizard and goblin. "Miranda was adamant I don't starve myself in the Ley Line".

Despite his size, the goblin porter shows no difficulty in handling the luggage. He even has enough strength to chuckle and jest.

"Really? It looks like it's a lifetime supply. The headmistress tends to do that with the people she likes, Miss".

Freed of her luggage, Michelle wipes her hands on her jacket and addresses the young wizard.

"The news. Holbrooke told me to tell you this". She takes a pause, which only serves to put the young wizard at the edge of his proverbial seat. "Jericho, you're going to be the only wizard here this year".

The words hang in the air for a few seconds, like the electric tingle that hangs in the moist air before a storm. Jericho's eyes widen slowly at first, like its taking seconds for him to process what Michelle said. Seeing this as a warning, Michelle covers her ears with her fingers. She predicted correctly. Michelle couldn't hear much but seeing how startled the goblin porter beside her is hearing his cry, she's glad she had the foresight to cover her ears. She uncovers her ears only when she deems Jericho is satisfied with screaming his confusion and questions and is ready to listen. Namely, when the boy is so flustered and out of breath. Michelle didn't need to ask; seeing the misery and disbelief etched on his face, she could tell exactly what kind of questions he has.

"Absence during the ceremony means they're either late or they changed their minds and willingly forfeited their seats. Either way, they won't be attending this school this year because of it. I thought you'd notice you were the only male in the opening ceremony. ".

Michelle delivers her lines evenly, a complete contrast to the wizard who is still stunned and stuttering to find a response.

"But… I'm already… but that means…"

"If you think about it, this was to be expected", Michelle continues. "Aspiring wizards wouldn't want to waste their money in joining an expensive and experimental programme in an all-girls school. They'd rather waste their money on already established expensive wizarding schools".

 _I heard this before, from the headmistress!_ Jericho thinks in despair. _The headmistress knew of this possibility since the beginning. And it's as if she already briefed everyone to answer this way when asked about it._

"I heard that possibility from the Headmistress, but they can't just do that!"

Michelle shrugs. "Well, they can and have, apparently".

Jericho feels like he got cheated, and Michelle's characteristically disinterested attitude isn't helping him.

_But I can't say anyone crossed me._

_The school already accepted the applicants, and it's those applicants' own decision not to follow through._

_Their failure to enrol isn't the school's mistake._

_But… having nothing and no one to blame just makes me feel more irritated._

"If this is any consolation, the staffs are males. You can hang out with them, right?"

Jericho thins his lips at Michelle. He's nearly upset she has the heart to joke in a moment like this, but he finds no sign of joking from the teacher. She genuinely thinks that's a good suggestion.

The goblin porter remarks. "Us goblins do poker on Wednesday nights, and a lot of games on Friday nights". He snaps his fingers as he tries to remember more. "The French fairies do snap poetries on Saturdays, and the Minotaurs and Cyclops do readings of Greek literature. They're about to do Iliad this week, Odyssey next, but they're not going to read The Aeneid. Those are about our only activities humans could enjoy like. You're free to join".

"I'll think about it".

The young wizard will never think about it.

With her luggage loaded to her broom, Michelle cuts the topic short. She rests her hands on her hips and looks at the young wizard. She says nothing for a moment as if she's still thinking what she's going to say.

"So, this is goodbye. This will be the last time we'll see each other as students and teachers. I regret our last conversation is me delivering ill news to you. The next time we meet, we'll be a student and a teacher from rivalling schools. And we'll indubitably meet again. Luna Nova isn't short of open events. There's their Moonlight Witch festival, just to name their most famous. And I hear talk this year's Witch Hunt will take place near Blytonbury. Expect us from the Tower to pay your new school a formal visit then".

"Yes".

Michelle notices how quiet Jericho is, and the way he hangs his head.

"You're nervous".

"Anyone in my position would".

Michelle stares at him as if trying to decipher something. And eventually, she nods in satisfaction as if she successfully deciphered him.

"That's true, but I wasn't referring to that. You're _also_ nervous about something else. The same old thing that worries you when you first set foot in the Tower: you're worried you'll fall behind the other students".

Jericho looks up to Michelle.

_She's right._

_I mean, that didn't bother me earlier because of Michelle's news._

_But she's right._

_There was a tight feeling in my chest the first time I arrived at the Tower. It's as if something got a hold of my heart, clutching and crumpling it just the way my hands did to the acceptance letter out of anxiousness. I got an earful from the administrator that day_ _—_ _she thought I was being careless with where I stored the letter._

_And now that same feeling is returning to me._

Jericho frowns.

_How did Michelle know about this, though?_

_This woman scares me, sometimes, how perceptive she is._

_It's like she's a detective, or frequents a lie-detecting spell of some sort._

Unlike her, he's terrible in reading other people's feelings, more so someone like Michelle, who _—_ despite having known her for long _—_ he can't figure out most of the time. Case in point, he didn't expect her to smile warmly right now. Now Michelle approaches the wizard, and her voice reduces to almost a whisper only the two can hear.

"I can't advise you about being the only wizard in school, for I can't claim I relate to you at all. But for this old problem of yours, I can tell you so many things. You're worried about how you'll perform in this school. I shall not give you false hopes; you will indeed be eclipsed by people luckier than you. But that shouldn't mean you should underestimate yourself, for I see in you a quality not many have; you are a good student. There are enough talented people in this world, so talented they refuse to learn anymore. Few are patient and humble enough to constantly wish to learn from others".

Michelle's words surprise the wizard completely.

How long has he wished someone to say that? Had he heard of this the first time he set foot on the Tower, or when times he needed them most…

Michelle's brow arch. "Oh, what's this? You got rain in your eyes".

Jericho flinches. Just a second after she says that, he realizes there was some extra water in his eyes.

"Idiot", he says, biting his lip deeply and rubbing his eyes. "…It's the _sun_. It's starting to rise".

Luckily, he's right. The clouds do part, cleaved by the rising sun that now bathes the entire front yard, banishing the mists and spreading warmth all across. The calm sunlight bathes Michelle's long brunette hair. They flow with her coat, its purple colour glowing stalwartly under the red sunrise. The sun rose just in time for the goblin porter to return with Michelle's broom—her luggage already mounted on it—and offers it to her hand. The time is right to fly, now while the sun still shines.

Realizing the time has finally come, Jericho regrets not preparing enough for this moment. He sucks a deep breath in and lightly bows his head, all while warmth—not from the sun—rushes to his cheeks.

"Thank you for all your work and patience, Miss Oliver!"

His head bowed Jericho couldn't tell how Michelle is reacting to his embarrassing gesture. Time feels like it lengthened as he stares at the ground. But then, he sees her hand extended towards him, inviting him for a handshake. He stares at the hand as if he's imagining it.

Jericho straightens his back and puffs his chest before taking Michelle's hand in a firm grip, and the two shake hands. He's further surprised to see the smirk in his former teacher's face.

"Good luck, Luna Novan", Michelle says. "You may no longer be a student of the Tower, but never forget what you learnt there. But most of all, never forget our most important lesson".

"An evil man makes evil magic".

Michelle nods. "And evil magic makes a man evil".

He finds it oddly charming that their last moment is one of teaching. It's a very fitting closure to their relationship.

The two parts, and in no time, Michelle is already airborne. The last thing he sees in her face before she turns her broom and leaves him with his new school is a smile. For a moment, Jericho doesn't budge from the field, looking at the fleeting form of her former teacher until he's satisfied.

The goblin porter, still next to him, remarks. "You two seems close".

"Interesting thing about both of that. The Tower is an unusual place, even by witch standards. Conservative and cautious in their teachings and quick in their punishments..."

He never understood why the Tower is like that. Only rumours exist. Some of Jericho's seniors would say the Tower has connections to the Guardians, others say it was originally a school meant for Guardians long ago, and the rest would answer in slight variants. But the young wizard never found a conclusive answer, so he never really bothered wasting his time thinking about it.

"...It means the ones who are patient and understanding really leave an impression on you. Michelle may not look like it, but by Tower standards, she's mighty understanding.

Jericho smiles softly, as fond memories briefly make a return. "Not to mention, she's not just a teacher. She's a supervisor for… certain students".

After seeing Michelle off, the young wizard immediately makes his way to his first class in his new school. As if meeting strangers isn't bad enough, he's going to stand out completely now, being the only wizard. But surprisingly, despite his new predicament, Jericho doesn't feel as worried as he was earlier. Michelle's praise for him—which works as a piece of advice as well—helps lift him up.

_Excellent student, huh?_

_I can't believe she said that._

_She's just trying to cheer me up, that's all._

Despite what he's telling himself, Jericho seems to unconsciously believe Michelle. He can't suppress a stupid grin from showing. He's glad that the hallway is quiet this early, so no one sees him with it.

Suddenly, the young wizard clasps his cheeks with his hands loudly, leaving bright red marks on his cheeks along with stinging pain. But despite this, his smile only grows brighter.

_Right. Let's get this bread!_

_Come high or hell water, I'll do my best!_

The wizard swings the classroom door open with a gusto that he uncharacteristically never has, only to find its too early that no one—not even Diana—is here yet.

He scratches the back of his head, blushing. "Oh, it's still empty".

**Little Witch Academia**

**The Wizard in Time**

**_Chapter Two:_ _Professor Ursula, the Magic Astrology Teacher_**

Diana goes to the classroom alone. Unlike her teammates, she had to answer a call by the headmistress for a special briefing, so she told them not to wait for her to be finished, fearing the briefing will take a long time. When Diana enters the classroom, she's surprised to find someone other than her team to be here this early. She finds the two surrounding someone. Diana moves until she could see the reason for their excitement: one cornered boy who's overwhelmed and trying to keep up with the two girls' curiosity.

Hannah, a girl with auburn hair tied with a yellow ribbon into a ponytail, has her arms folded as she talks to the boy. "The Tower, huh? I heard from my dad that it's old but I never heard much about it".

Barbara, a girl with straight black hair and equally dark eyes, seems more excited than her friend about something else. "But their uniform is pretty cool. Not that Luna Nova isn't".

"Well, they're all black and gloomy", Jericho replies. "People—especially normal ones—get easily scared by us when we wear it, so I don't like it".

A dreamy look comes to Barbara's eyes. "They do have that edginess to them. But isn't that the cool part? So dark and brooding".

Hannah shoots a puzzled look at her friend. "Huh? Barbara, I didn't know you like that".

Barbara cringes under Hannah's question and look and immediately stops herself.

"I'd rather look friendly than brooding, though", the young wizard replies, maintaining a polite smile, all while thinking, _looking brooding and intimidating doesn't help my already low chances at socializing._

Diana realizes they're talking about the young wizard's uniform, specifically, his new one and his choice of colour for the belt: pink. To be more precise, a soft red-pink. It actually impresses her that it contrasts his ebony black hair and fair skin nicely. Diana notes that the young wizard has an eye for these things. Diana is further surprised to find the light radiating from his face. What's more, he doesn't seem to mind sitting at the front row despite the abundance of empty seats due to his early arrival. This impressed Diana who noticed early on that Jericho isn't the most sociable or bold.

"You seem quite upbeat today", Diana remarks, a small smile tugging her lips.

"Oh, Diana. I just got good news this morning, that's all", Jericho answers. "Not to mention, the class this morning sounds fun".

Hannah and Barbara turn at the same time.

"Oh, Diana! I didn't notice you're back from the headmistress' office already. How did it go? What was that briefing about?"

"Nothing worth talking about, Barbara".

"You know Jericho already, Diana?"

"Of course, Hannah. I met him before yesterday's opening ceremony. He needed help getting to the headmistress' office, so I simply helped him there. We just happen to split before the event started and haven't met each other since".

The young wizard blinks.

 _For a second, I thought she's going to tell them she gave me a ride_ _._

_Lucky she doesn't do that. I don't know how to explain if she did._

_Maybe she just forgot to mention it?_

The four of them turn when they hear the door open. Jericho glances at the girls in curiosity when he notices they recognize the new arrival. Hannah and Barbara look surprised when the one who comes into the room is one redheaded girl with messy hair.

Hannah stifles a laugh and asks, "this early, Amanda? Well isn't this a surprise".

"Very funny, England", the girl called Amanda rolls her eyes. "We were one of the last to join the ceremony yesterday and Miss Finnelan got all worked up for some reason. Said if we do it again in her class she'd personally see to our punishment".

As if to prove her point, Amanda yawns. The uncouth girl couldn't be bothered to cover her mouth. That didn't fail to annoy Hannah.

Following behind her are two girls, both with the same green belt tied around their waists.

Amanda pauses when she realizes who the blue team are surrounding. For a second, Jericho and Amanda's eyes meet. But instead of saying anything, the young wizard promptly looks away. There's something about her that makes his courage flee his chest.

For a second, Jericho thinks she's going to react or make a fuss after seeing him. But to his surprise, Amanda shoves her hands deeper into her pockets and saunters off to towards the stairs, ignoring him.

"Well, you nerds continue what you're talking about. I'm going to my favourite row in the whole world".

The redhead starts climbing the stairs leading to the backmost row. Amanda's two entourage follow her close behind. Not a word was spoken, not to him and the blue team nor at each other. Hannah, Barbara, and Diana have already forgotten about Amanda and return to their conversation, but Jericho's head is hardly in the conversation. Before he realizes it, he's shooting glances exclusively at the redheaded witch.

_Out of those three, Amanda seems like the leader._

He sighs quietly.

_And boy is she scary. For a second, I thought she's going to try to talk to me._

Jericho has yet to realize it now, but the reason he couldn't stand looking at her earlier was her eyes. Her green sharp eyes—good-looking though they are—screams troublemaker and mischief, daunting to look at for the orderly and honest Jericho. And that's not the only thing signalling a red flag to Jericho. There's a saying Jericho often hears; you can judge a person by which seats they choose in a class. Another wise saying also tells him to choose his circles cautiously, lest he'll be influenced. He finds both rules quite handy and accurate most of the time.

_That means they're that kind of people._

_And I have no plan to waste my chances here by being a troublemaker._

Jericho turns and returns his attention to the blue team, who luckily never noticed what he's doing.

* * *

Class after class come and go, and not one of them bore the young wizard. He wrote everything he hears and never took his eyes from the teacher or the blackboard. Time flies when you're having fun, and before he knows it the day comes to a close with Professor Badcock's Magic Numerology class. There was a lot of writing and drawing involved in this class, and the wizard ends up with a satisfying stack of materials in his notebook. Beaming, the young wizard starts organizing his things as soon as possible without sacrificing order. But his peace is broken when one girl, then two, then four then six suddenly start swarming his desk. Before he knew it, Jericho is hearing so many introductions in so little time and facing so many questions with so little chance to answer.

Xiao, a dark-haired girl with slanted eyes, asks excitedly, "so hey, hey, where do you come from?"

Jericho didn't get to answer before another intrudes. Avery, a girl with short dark lavender hair, asks, "You're from the Tower? Never heard of that place. Is it actually famous?"

To that, Sarah, A redheaded girl taller than any girl his age he knows, replies, "Don't you know, Avery? Their outfit is pretty cool! They're all black and brooding. Jericho, did you bring one with you?"

"I-I agree, they do look cool", the young wizard says, chuckling nervously as he does.

He maintains a polite smile as he tries to hold up the overwhelming conversation. Internally, however, he's screaming. _Goddammit_ _! Why? I shouldn't have wasted too much time packing up. Now I'm stuck here_ _!_ _If only I had little to pack and left as soon as the teacher ends the class._

_Well not that I can blame them. I must look like a caged exotic animal from Borneo for them!_

Still with a dreamy look in her eyes, Sarah says, "shame there's only one of you in this class. I hope I can meet the rest eventually".

_Oh, so the news is still so fresh it hasn't spread yet, huh?_

_Well, I hope I don't disappoint anyone when they finally realize I'm the only one._

_Well, aren't the pressure stacking against me more and more?_

A sudden disruption comes in the small crowd. Diana parts them, seemingly with her very presence, and puts a pause to the girls' conversation.

"Excuse me, girls, but he's needed elsewhere".

"I am?"

"Professor Ursula, the Magic Astrology teacher, needs you".

_Professor Ursula?_

He glances around. "Am I... in trouble, Diana?"

"I can't say. She told me nothing of the nature of her request, for some reason. Now, do you recognize who I'm referring to?"

"Yeah, of course. Professor Ursula. I know her", Jericho says, all while a bead of sweat trickle down his neck.

_I don't know who that is!_

_Should I know?_

_Is she one of the teachers today?_

_It'd be embarrassing if I forgot already and I'm too embarrassed to ask with everyone listening!_

_Aaagh_ _,_ _I'm bad at names! I_ _barely remember half these girls' names!_

Jericho scratches the back of his head. "J-just tell me where she's waiting for me and I'm good to go".

"She was visiting the botanical garden when I received her message, but she said she'll most likely be in the library at this time, researching something Miss Finnelan asked her to". Then, Diana addresses the girls surrounding him. "Now let's not bother him. We wouldn't want the Professor to wait too long".

Jericho is surprised to find the small crowd complying instantly. But at the same time, none of them was displeased by Diana. Diana Cavendish has that kind of effect. The young wizard is slowly starting to understand this.

"Huh, she could do that", remarks Jericho once Diana, too, left. And suddenly, as if he just invoked a summoning spell, Hannah and Barbara appear beside him.

"Yes, yes", Barbara nods repeatedly. "She is the most talented girl in Luna Nova, after all! Didn't you see how she performed in class today? I can't believe she corrected Professor Badcock earlier!"

"And how she answered Miss Finnelan's question", Hannah adds. She straightens her back and exaggerates her voice into something akin to Miss Finnelan's. "'No student ever read this correctly in their first try'. Miss Finnelan put it best!"

"To be honest I feel like she was exaggerating", Jericho murmurs.

"Oh, but this is Miss Finnelan we're talking about", Barbara argues. "The seas will _dry_ before she'd make a joke".

"And Professor Badcock, meticulous and disciplined as she is, very rarely makes mistakes!"

"I-I see".

Hearing these two talk reminds Jericho of gossiping housewives, though the effortless embellishments and flowery choice of words tell him they must have professional training in gossiping.

_I'm too scared to think how much they've practised and done this,_

But Jericho willingly looks beyond the embellishments. It's easier than expected since their object of embellishment is someone who has proven her qualities consistently in so little time.

 _That's right, Diana arrived earlier than anyone during the opening ceremony, claiming she has responsibilities._ _Combine that with what I witnessed today in class and what Hannah and Barbara said, it's safe to say_ _Diana is_ _so capable and consistent she's entrusted with important things like that and becomes respected because of that._

"Well, there's no evidence showing otherwise", the young wizard concludes. "I'm guessing she's someone respected".

"Of course. And if her skills are not enough, she ought to be respected just by being alive. The scion and heir of the Cavendish family, Diana Cavendish", explains Hannah.

"That so?"

The lack of recognition or amazement in Jericho's voice alarms both girls. They slam their hands into his desk, making him jump. It surprised the young wizard that he nearly drops his notes.

"You don't know about the Cavendish family?" Barbara exclaims, her face black with horror as if he just spoke blasphemy.

The black-haired Barbara fixes an imaginary pair of glasses and starts lecturing him. What follows is paragraph after paragraph of explanations to the long history and fame of the Cavendish family. It's so long, in fact, Jericho nearly failed to catch some of them and he starts to believe even his notebooks won't encapsulate all Barbara is saying. But he does get the gist of it. What he memorizes more than than the rest is the Cavendish' noble history of being witches specialized in white magic.

"Now that you mention that, I do remember reading about a family like them".

"Yes, but this isn't something you read. Any proper witch and wizard should know".

There's an underlying question to that statement, one that the young wizard is able to read like a warning sign: 'so why don't you?'

Jericho looks away. "Well, who knows. I don't get out much".

Surprised, Barbara seems like she has more to say, but she stops when Jericho abruptly stands to his feet. Everything packed and ready, he says, "I'm worried that I'm being called because something urgent, so I really should be going. It was nice meeting you. And tell Diana my thanks for saving my hide back there".

"R-right".

Jericho half expected the girls will stop him from leaving, but he's grateful no disruption happens.

_That was close._

Clutching his bag tightly, Jericho looks at and speaks to no one as he makes his way out of the classroom. However, just as he's one step away from the door, he hears an amused whistle. He turns and finds the redheaded witch to be the source. She's sitting legs crossed on top of a desk very close to the front row. Jericho just noticed she doesn't wear the standard shoes, but a revolting pair of sports shoes.

At first, Jericho thinks he's mistaken, but the girl is indeed looking at—and was whistling—at him.

"Getting into trouble on the first day of school", the redheaded witch remarks in amusement, complimented with an accent he just realized to be American. "Summoned by none other than Professor Ursula as well! That's a high score".

The young wizard stops completely, his attention caught.

"You're Amanda, right?"

"I am. I am. Nice to meet you", the girl says, smirking. Though, something in her eyes and smirk tells him she doesn't mean it.

Amanda's smile twists into a pitying frown. She shakes her head and clicks her tongue repeatedly as if she's seeing the most pitiable person on earth.

"Though, if I were you, I'd stop talking and start running! Professor Ursula is quite scary when she's angry, you know?"

The young wizard blanches. "W-what did you say?"

Amanda looks surprised and sympathetic, but there's also a hint of mischief and amusement behind her face when she sees his whitening face. Unfortunately, in his panic, Jericho fails to notice them.

"I'm just giving you a piece of friendly advice!" She gestures to the door. "The library, wasn't it? Well, you better start running".

As if awakened from a sleep, Jericho blinks and abruptly starts for the door. "T-thanks for the heads up! I'll be going—"

He didn't get to finish his sentence before he breaks into a run.

Jericho leaves a second too soon, for just after he left, Amanda bursts into laughter. Wiping a fake tear from her eyes, Amanda giggles. "Ah, whiter than the French flag".

She's lucky—and Jericho wasn't—that none of the girls around caught on to what she's doing. But her laugh does disturb a few of them. She only stops when she notices some girls giving her looks. Amanda replies to the scowl that Barbara and Hannah are throwing her way by groaning.

"Come on, you'd laugh too if only you saw the look on his face!".

The two replies with a roll of their eyes.

* * *

At first, Jericho finds the idea of being in trouble on the first day laughable. Hence his initial disbelief when Amanda told him otherwise. But the more he thinks about it, the more he's convinced she _could_ be telling the truth. So deep was Amanda's suggestion seared in his mind that he can't resist going to Professor Ursula as soon as possible. But with the no-running rule imposed in the hallway, the young wizard has to resort to an awkward power-walk. He's fully aware he's garnering attention from passers-by, but his fear of being late overpowers any sense of embarrassment. Thoughts of the worst possible scenario follow his every step, accompany Jericho until he arrives in front of the library.

The library's door is unremarkable, with zero features distinguishing it from the other doors in the academy. Yet he feels rooted just looking at it. Jericho reaches the doorknob, only to let his hand hover inches from it. Anxiety haunts him, like icy tendrils that wrap around his wrists, stopping it from reaching forward.

_Professor Ursula… I wonder if she's going to be scary. So far, the teachers in this school are strict and... menacing. Miss Finnelan, Professor Lukic, Professor Badcock, and even Professor Pisces…_

The faces of these teachers float in his mind as he tries to imagine what this Professor Ursula is like. Normally, Jericho has no trouble with strict teachers—the Tower is filled with teachers like them. He likes to take his studies seriously, and strictness often translates to discipline. But it's a high-risk high-reward kind of relationship, where the slightest wrong could make the worst experience.

 _Magic Astrology, huh? The divinity experts I know of are either old and stiff Tower teachers or shady and conning fortune tellers._ He shakes his head and steels himself. _Well, here goes nothing._

He breathes deeply. Fresh air fills his being, but they couldn't melt the icy tendrils restricting his wrist. The doorknob feels heavy like wrought iron as he opens the door.

The library—obviously—is quiet, but even more so due to there being only a handful of people currently inside. One of them, a woman, sits alone, accompanied only by a stack of paper works and thick books. The table the woman chose is situated right next to the tall windows adorning the walls, which lets the comfortable afternoon sunlight into the library. She stops her work and looks up upon Jericho's arrival, and a smile—warm enough to melt ice—immediately spreads across her face. None of the teachers today smiled at him today. And this one doesn't look polite or forced.

"You must be Jericho. Perfect", the woman says.

The young wizard looks at her in confusion as he approaches her table. "You're… Professor Ursula?"

The teacher nods and stands up. He has to look up now to see her eyes.

"I'm Professor Ursula Callistis", she says, smiling. "Just call me by how you just called me".

Professor Ursula wears the default uniform of Luna Nova's staff: a dark violet hooded dress reaching up to her knees with long wide sleeves, a flame-like design in the bottom, a single brown strap on the chest-area. She wears a distinctive black choker which juxtaposes her fair skin and her relatively boring teacher's uniform. But what juxtaposes the boring uniform the most is her youth and beauty. She has the most captivating eyes Jericho had ever seen: fiery red eyes with white pupils, accentuated by her contrasting dark blue hair that she wraps into a small ponytail near its end and worn over her shoulder. It's unfortunate the Professor has to hide her beautiful eyes behind her glasses. That Amanda girl also has nice eyes, but they speak trouble and mischief. But the professor's eyes tell nothing but gentleness and patience.

 _She's young!_ The young wizard thinks to himself suddenly. _If she's not wearing her uniform, she'd have a hard time convincing me she's a teacher here!_

Realizing he's just standing there and staring, the young wizard shakes his head and switches to professional mode. He straightens his back and asks, "Is something wrong, Professor?"

The professor looks surprised. She chuckles and shakes her head. There's not a hint of cynicism or ridicule in her expression. "No, no. Don't worry. I didn't call you here because you're in trouble".

Hearing her chuckle and the face it makes her make, his sense of professionality flies out the window. It takes all his strength to not flinch or blush.

… _and she's very pretty?_

But then he pauses. His fists clench and a black look washes over his face, killing any warmth on his cheeks and plucking the wings of the butterflies in his stomach.

_Amanda, was it? So, she was messing with me._

Luckily, the professor noticed none of that.

"So, Jericho, we're here today to talk about your unusual condition".

"Condition?"

That brings him back to earth immediately. The bad thoughts he had about the topic threatens to come back to haunt him, but Michelle's advice to him was enough to repel them.

"If it's about me being the only male student, I've already discussed—"

"No, no. The _other_ condition".

Jericho blinks, confused. But a black look slowly resurfaces on his face, and he has a grim prediction of what she's going to say.

"Jericho, you're a first-generation wizard, aren't you?"

A pang of shock courses through his chest when he hears that, and for a moment his thoughts go blank. For a full second, he doesn't say a word back.

_Calm yourself._

_Of course, she knows._

_She's a teacher._

He knows he's not hiding his feelings well because the professor speaks like she read his mind and heart.

"Don't worry, Jericho. Only the teachers know about your condition. Witches and wizards are very proud of their history and traditions, and bloodlines are a huge part of that. But I don't think you need me to tell you that. I think someone like you would understand that more than anyone".

The wizard nods, thinking, _more than I'd like to know._

Professor Ursula so far is very nice, but he doesn't want to risk offending her by voicing what he honestly thinks of witches and wizards' stance on that matter.

"Out of all our history as a school, only now do we allow first-generation to enroll. But that idea had already existed long ago, and only now executed. Which means we've already thought things through. We know the kind of upheaval the students would feel when they see a first-generation among them. And we know that it's very normal for you to keep this part of your condition to yourself. So, the teachers have agreed to be very discreet. That means no one, unless you told them, knows about your condition. The teachers cannot force you to reveal your conditions; that would be a massive breach of your privacy"

It feels like a massive weight is just taken off Jericho's chest.

"Thank you. I really appreciate that", he sighs in relief. "You gave me a scare for a second, Professor. I thought _everyone_ knows".

"You don't want that. That's understandable". But then, a frown comes to her face. "Which reminds me of how unusual Akko is. I thought she'd react and act the same as you on this matter".

"Akko?"

The professor seems surprised. "Ah, yes. You two are the reason we're having this conversation. You're not the only one this year. Akko, or Atsuko Kagari, if you're unfamiliar, is also a first-generation witch. She comes from a completely normal family of no previous witching experience".

"Is this true? I didn't know this!"

Professor Ursula looks glad he's pleased with the news.

"Different from you, however, Akko doesn't mind declaring to the whole cafeteria about herself. I was there, and I couldn't believe what I was hearing".

"Gutsy! That's very gutsy!"

_She must be very capable and confident in her abilities. She must be a great witch!_

"Well she is an unusually gutsy girl", the Professor says with a chuckle. "You'll understand that when you see her. To be honest, I'm quite surprised word hadn't reached your ears about Akko".

"Well, professor, if everyone knows she's a first-generation witch, then I won't have a hard time finding her".

The professor beams. "Yes. See? Positive thoughts, Jericho".

"In any case, you'll meet with Akko soon enough. Because, after long considerations, the school board have decided you two deserve a guidance counsellor who could teach you two extra lessons so you can catch up with the rest. And that will be me".

So many emotions mix in him: gratefulness, surprise, delight, and all those positive things. They all result in one beaming wizard. He didn't expect to be accommodated so generously so quickly, considering he's someone brand new and unique for the school.

"That's very kind of the school", Jericho sighs in relief. He couldn't be bothered to hide his gratefulness. "A-and of you, of course", he adds, blushing.

The professor replies with a smile. "Please, you're my responsibility. There's no need to be so flustered".

_'My responsibility'._

That actually makes him blush more.

Thankfully, the professor has her back turned as she returns to her desk and gathers her things. "Now, if that's done, I should tend to an urgent matter about parasites the headmistress wanted me to look at. I'm probably wasting your afternoon if we talk too long anyway, right?"

"N-not at all, Miss! You're not wasting my time or anything".

With that, the wizard exits the library, but he doesn't leave the area immediately. He leans on the closed door, catching his breath like he's just freed from a heavy load he'd carried all day.

_I'm glad someone is finally welcoming me._

_It feels refreshing, after hiding all day long._

_The reason I can't fly, the reason I'm obsessed with theories instead of practical things, and the reason I'm clueless about the Cavendish family—a family any good witch or wizard should know—are all due to the same thing: I'm not a wizard._

He sighs as he stares outside through the tall window that adorns the hallways

 _A first-generation witch, huh?_ Jericho thinks, amused. Eventually, he smiles at the idea and makes his way to his room. _Atsuko Kagari, I wonder what kind of person she is. I can't wait to meet her._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's notes are pretty boring to read, so go ahead and listen to Tsuioku Merry-Go-Round by Onelifecrew so you don't get bored. Take it as the Ending and this notes the credits.
> 
> This is pretty much the first rewrite chapter I've chronologically worked on. Particularly, Professor Ursula's conversation with Jericho is the first idea that I played around with. I always felt like Jericho's background is vaguely explained in the original, something Muset pointed out at one point in one of his reviews. So this rewrite tries to fix it a bit without sacrificing his already established character. Rather, it will serve to reinforce his already established character.
> 
> First impressions are something fun to do. And when I wrote the original, I had no idea the arcs and relationships the canon characters will have with the OC, so the first impressions are a bit directionless despite seeming fun in the surface. But now that I do, its fun to think of slightly different ways they meet in the first place and making it more meaningful. For one, I think Amanda and Jericho's dynamic is perfect in the original, but her early appearance could've been made a little spicier. This rewrite feels like something the rebel would do to the innocent and gullible wizard. And wow, does Jericho have a good taste? He's the only male student, with all these casts of interesting and pretty girls his age, and the first and only one that caught his eyes is his new teacher. Fine taste, fine taste for a man so young, I'd say.
> 
> Now on to the next important thing. If it's not obvious yet, I'm trying to write/update in a zig-zag pattern; I take turns in working on the original and the rewrite, going back and forth. I do this because it's surprisingly relaxing for me; when I'm bored writing one thing, I switch to another. It's like writing two different books. This means the next update will be on the original fic. I myself can't wait as much as you guys.
> 
> However, I cannot say when I can deliver the next chapter. College stuff might be coming back and I'll be busy. So if you thirst for Chariot and Croix action but my fanfic isn't coming up yet, I suggest an interesting fanfic I stumbled across with those two characters in focus. It's called "A believing heart is our magic" by Tania Hylian. The story follows Chariot and her days with Croix. It's not a groundbreaking premise but the author certainly delivers some interesting stories around those lovable dorks. So check it out and show them your support if you do find it interesting and tell Tania I said hi. I myself was reading it because I need materials to study on Chariot and Croix's characters, which the show didn't provide too much. So I had to resort to well-written fanfics-the next best thing. Who knows, you guys can judge for yourself which, mine or Tania's, Croix and Chariot is the more canon-accurate one or entertaining to read ;)


	3. Golem Problem (part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Muset for proof-reading this chapter. Some lines in this chapter won't be as good as they are if I didn't get corrected every now and then. So not all the praises (if there's any to begin with) should go to me.
> 
> This chapter is heavily inspired by a chapter in Teri Terio's LWA manga. But fear not, I put ample explanations to make non-manga readers understand what's going on.
> 
> Also, I've been playing around with my drawings and end up messing around with Jericho's design once again. The latest ideas I have of him is recently posted on my Twitter, @AccurateSpino. Lucky you if you read this chapter near the time its uploaded, lest you'll have to scroll a lot to find it! Though it's relatively easy to find Jericho in there, since he's like the only male I draw on my Twitter.

Today is golem-making class. The excitement is palpable, and no student shies from rolling up their sleeves to get their hands dirty. But much to her teammates' chagrin, Akko's energetic golem-making leaves a mess of materials on their shared workstation. Sculpting tools lie abandoned after use, not to be returned to its place, and her erratic sculpting method disturbs her teammates especially Sucy.

Sucy narrows her eyes as another piece of clay gets splattered to her side of the table.

"I swear to all the mushrooms in Arcturus, if you do that again I'll—"

Her complaints fall on deaf ears as Akko makes no effort to slow down. Such was the intensity of Akko's focus that she failed to care for her surroundings. She also fails to notice the approach of two certain troublemakers.

Barbara flanks Akko and swiftly swipes the golem she's working on. She holds it up and studies the golem curiously.

"What's this, what do we have here? Hannah, can you tell what this is supposed to be?"

Hannah soon flanks Akko as well, replying, "I'm afraid I don't have the slightest clue of what it's supposed to be".

Akko turns to the two and folds her arms in front of her indignantly. With a confident smirk, Akko answers, "That's a Shiny Chariot golem. Isn't it cute?"

Hannah and Barbara blink and exchange confused glances.

"That performer? Again, Akko?" Hannah says.

"This doesn't even look remotely similar!" retorts Barbara.

The two break into laughter, much to Akko's chagrin. Akko tries to snatch the golem from Barbara's prying hands, but Barbara would simply whisk the golem away from Akko's reach every time she tries.

"G-guys! We're in class, can't we get along at least now?" moans Lotte. She turns to Sucy in distress. "Sucy, help me here!"

"I'll pass. Now that Akko's occupied I can work in peace".

"Sucy!"

Soon after, a brilliant idea strikes Hannah and Barbara. They now hold the golem in front of the agitated Akko and begin challenging her.

"Oh, we'll give it back", says Hannah.

" _If_ you can make this golem move", adds Barbara.

With mischievous grins, they challenge Akko in unison, "Come on, now. Cast the animation spell!"

Never one to back down from a challenge, Akko sets her jaw and rolls up her sleeves further. Readying her wand, she says, "Oh yeah? I'll show you… um…"

Akko's bravado quickly fades. She can't remember how the animation spell goes! Akko taps her cheek with her wand numerous times trying to search her memory.

" _Difranieado_ , was it? That's it!"

Akko aims at the golem with a renewed flame. Grinning, she cries,

"Move o golem. _Difranieado!_ "

In an instant, a deafening explosion of magic wrecks the golem, eliciting shocked cries from everyone nearby. The smoke dissipates to reveal the shocked Hannah and Barbara. The golem on their hands is no more as pieces of it are now on their dishevelled hair and uniforms or even further off to the ends of the classroom. Such is how thoroughly Akko destroyed her own golem.

Shock whitened Hannah and Barbara's faces. But once the surprise wears off, they glare at Akko with dagger-like eyes.

"An explosive spell? You idiot, that was the wrong spell!" scolds Barbara.

"Why am I not surprised? What a lousy witch you are!" adds Hannah.

Akko—no less horrified by what happened than everyone else—could only take the complaints speechlessly.

Seeing the situation worsening for Akko distresses Lotte even further. Sucy, however, seems delighted. She chuckles as she approaches Akko, whispering,

"Akko, that was a _brilliant_ idea. An explosive spell? Serves them right!"

Akko turns to her with unhappy eyes. "I didn't mean that—I thought that was the right spell!"

Though it was interesting at first, the endless argument begins to bore the onlooking students, so they return to their works, some shaking their heads while others chuckle to themselves. However, one wizard still watches from his table across the room with attentive eyes.

When Diana approaches Jericho's table looking for something, he immediately takes his eyes off Akko.

As he continues to work, only responding minimally to Diana, it's clear to her he's preoccupied about something. She comes to his side so she can more easily assess his work.

"Something you're confused about?"

Jericho replies, "the golem? No, I'm doing fine. I was just distracted".

"By Akko?"

"Yes", Jericho answers. When he realizes the awkwardness of his answer, he hastily adds, "Like, not in _that_ way. I was just curious about her because of that stunt she pulled with the statue a few days ago".

The stunt he's referring to happened the very day he met Professor Ursula for the first time. Immediately after the talk, Jericho searched and found Akko easily due to the crowd she gathered for herself.

Akko was in an argument with Diana, and many curious students were there to see it. They follow the arguing pair to the garden, where Akko boldly declares the truth about her rod, claiming she'll move the statue there to life.

That day, Akko made a fool of herself in front of the whole school. Her lack of magic and lack of knowledge was made clear that day. After that, the pieces of the puzzle fall into place and many students figured out that Akko is the rumoured first-generation witch among them.

The following days, Akko is followed by all kinds of ridicule from numerous fronts. Hannah and Barbara have no problem ridiculing Akko openly, and given Jericho's following of the blue team, he's never out of earshot of their mockeries. Today's no exception.

No less insidious are the girls who prefer to talk behind Akko's back. Even now, as Jericho steals a few glances around the class, he notes the way some students look at Akko with ill eyes or talk behind her back. It's the most unsavory sight, but not unfamiliar to the young wizard.

Needless to say, this makes Jericho reflect on his decision to approach Akko. Jericho can tell how confused Akko feels, being surrounded by hostile witches, so he's certain Akko won't separate herself from him once she knows they're both share the same circumstances.

However, judging from the way Lotte and Sucy also receive insults just by being associated with Akko, Jericho has a strong guess he'll likely suffer the same fate should he and Akko bond. Jericho prefers to avoid that, not when he's off to a remarkably good start after befriending the blue team.

He has to come clean with Akko at some point, he just has to find the right time and place. Evidently, till this day Jericho has yet to make up his mind. For now, he prefers to stick with the blue team while he ponders how to do that. Different from the red team, the blue team enjoys respect and love from everyone. Who can blame him for finding comfort in such wonderful company?

Following his gaze, Diana looks to Akko and her teammates, remarking, "You heard of that fiasco, have you? I see word spread quickly. I suppose news of someone like her in this school would surprise anyone. It's unfortunate, but you have to admit the girl brought it upon herself; no one asked her to make a fool of herself."

Uncertainty uncharacteristically clouds Diana's eyes, and her stern look softens. She shakes her head and says, "though to be honest, I feel a little bad for Akko. I didn't mean to humiliate her by showing how to move the statue. Perhaps I was too harsh and got the wrong message across".

Diana seems like she has more to say, but when she turns to Jericho, she's surprised to be face to face with a rather crudely made golem, held to her face by the wizard. The wizard moves the golem slightly so Diana can see his face and the unhappy smile he bears.

"At least, because of that fiasco, I now know I can count on you to tell me about animation spell. So, a little help, please?"

Diana grows dubious at the interruption and change of subject, but never one to turn down honest requests, she relents and takes the golem from his hands.

Jericho expected general advice or shallow praises, but Diana begins observing his golem as if it's the most fascinating thing in the world. For what reason he can't tell; his golem looks aesthetically shallow and unrefined.

In time—once he spends enough time around Diana—Jericho will understand this is a common trend with the Cavendish; she never does anything half heartedly or casually.

"Quadrupedal design, interesting", remarks Diana. "I take it you chose that to save energy?"

The fact Diana noticed that delights him.

"Good eye. I'm not confident about my white magic, so I decided to make something quadrupedal instead of a biped. That way, the golem would be able to stand up with less magic fuelling it, as keeping balance for a biped takes more dexterity and thus more magic".

Jericho smiles unhappily and forces out a chuckle, "This is a perfect design for me, though I feel like it's kind of cheating."

Without taking her eyes off the golem, Diana replies, "…No, I think you made a very clever decision. I think there's a fine line between cheating and being pragmatic".

To Jericho, he never imagined Diana—the prodigy of Luna Nova—complimenting him. His disbelief and confusion eclipse any feeling of satisfaction from the compliment, so he's left feeling puzzled more than delighted.

"Thank you?"

Soon after, Hannah and Barbara return to the blue team's table with sour looks. And how can anyone blame them? The argument left them in such a dishevelled and exhausted state.

They find their table abandoned, so they join Diana in Jericho's table. Tugged in by curiosity, Hannah and Barbara join Diana in inspecting the wizard's golem. Barbara takes the golem from Diana's hand and looks at it dubiously.

"It looks… Well how do I put it? I don't know what this is. What _is_ this supposed to be?"

She passes it on to Hannah, who takes turns to inspect it.

"A chihuahua?" inputs Hannah.

"Actually, it's supposed to be a cat", says Jericho.

"This doesn't look like a cat", Hannah replies.

Jericho chuckles forcedly. "Well, uh, I never said it's a good-looking cat".

The direction of the conversation displeases Diana. She clears her throat and scolds her teammates.

"The true worth of a golem isn't in its outward appearance but its performance. True, a beautiful golem is a sight to see, but usefulness comes first".

Upon Diana's words, Hannah and Barbara quickly experience a change of heart.

"O-of course! How silly of us, right Hannah?"

"Y-yes. Silly us!"

Another compliment (of some sort)! Unluckily, Jericho didn't have time to process what Diana just said as Barbara hastily gives him back the golem. She looks at him with expectant eyes, saying,

"Well, what are you waiting for, Jericho? Give it some life now".

Jericho freezes in place. The golem might be finished, but mentally, he's yet to prepare for this moment. He expected his spell-weaving to be done in silence away from prying eyes, a situation where he could focus perfectly, but now he seems to have accidentally created an audience for himself.

He glances at Diana. Even she seems interested in how he'll perform. This gives him some grain of confidence, enough to make him relent to the request.

"Alright then. Just pray I won't lose an arm and a leg doing this".

Unfortunate bunch! The happy atmosphere will soon shatter, yet they know nothing of what will happen. And so Jericho rests the cat golem on the table and casts his spell without hesitation.

The golem dully glows as Jericho's magic works its way through the golem's clay flesh and bones. When the light finally fades, the sculpture begins to move. In a slow and difficult manner, it moves its limbs for the first time, audibly cracking its clay skin in each movement.

The face looks wrong. Instead of a flexible face that resembles a living skin, it looks brittle and stiff, like a mask that hides something else—something horrible—underneath it. Case in point, the clay around its mouth cracks as it tries to open its mouth to let out a guttural groan. Its throat is an empty gaping abyss. And when the cat golem opens its eyelids, soulless beady eyes now stare at the four witches.

Colour drains from Hannah and Barbara's wide-eyed faces. The pair retreat and seek refuge behind Diana, clinging onto her vest and shirt that they begin to crumple. But like a scholar seeking to sate her thirst for knowledge, Diana seems more intrigued by the abominable golem than scared.

Much to Hannah and Barbara's horror, Diana approaches the golem to study it closely.

"I see your problem", begins Diana, so calmly in the face of horror it's almost comical. "You fail to fuse your magic to the finer muscles. You focused too much on the core motors you forgot to give a gentle touch to the fine muscles like the facial structure".

"I-I see", Jericho stammers.

Jericho himself is taken aback by how unmoved Diana is. Even he—the creator of the golem—can't love what he created.

After a moment of thinking, he asks, "theoretically, is it possible for that to happen because the caster's magic isn't strong enough that they can't direct it to all the muscles so only some muscles are filled with magic?"

"You're correct", answers Diana, turning to him. "Low amount of magic could do that. Such as for witches who are—"

Jericho finishes Diana's line. "When they're far from a Ley Line".

Diana nods. "Yes. I suppose that's one of the most usual situations where witches have little magic in them".

Diana continues to learn every nook and cranny of the abomination, finding important details and lessons that only she could see. Indeed, to the rest, they can't find what's there to see with the horrible construct. It is as if Diana's treating the golem as an invaluable case study for future references.

 _Well,_ Jericho thinks. _At least I'm useful for her... as a bad example._

"So you see, I'm not really good with this spell", remarks Jericho, scratching the back of his head. "Do you think you could show me how to do it properly?"

"Yes", nods Diana. She straightens her back and says, "Very well, I'll show you how to do it better".

Diana leads the three back to the blue team's table. Without being told, Jericho can guess which of the three golems there is Diana's. Eclipsing in beauty to any golem in the room is a beautiful unicorn, sculpted to perfection and waiting for the final touch. It's a pleasant change after Jericho's cat golem.

The unicorn golem draws pleasant stares not only from Diana's entourage but also from neighbouring tables.

"It's the Cavendish guardian symbol", Diana explains. For a second, pride flashes in her blue eyes. She brandishes her wand and makes sure she has the young wizard's attention. "I'll show you what you did wrong, so pay close attention. I'll explain more later on".

With a whisper of her spell and a flick of the wand, the golem quickly comes to life and moves with life-like flexibility and dexterity. Its face didn't crack violently, rather stretching and pulling like real flesh would. Diana's golem is a sea-wide contrast compared to Jericho's.

The three audiences quickly applaud Diana's performance. The neighbouring tables too, charmed by the performance, applaud Diana.

In no way are they applauding Jericho, but he feels elated nonetheless. It feels good to be part of such a respected group. It reminds him once more why sticking to a blue team was such a good idea.

"That's brilliant, Diana", remarks Jericho.

"The Cavendish family is praised for their gifted white magic. Have you forgotten the statue? That was all Diana", explains Barbara.

" _And_ the Jennifer Memorial tree", adds Hannah. "That's Diana's deed. She used a secret spell only passed down in the Cavendish family".

"I heard about the one with the tree", Jericho says. "But seeing her in action is something else".

Soon after, a new golem makes its way from one end of the blue team's table and close to Diana's unicorn. This one is a red panda. It catches Jericho's attention.

"Whoa, that's pretty cute!" applauds Jericho.

His praise puts fresh heart to Hannah. Pointing at the new golem, she declares, "that's mine, of course it'll be cute!"

Evidently, she's already casted her spell beforehand. The red panda golem looks mobile and lively, a product of quality spell casting. It saunters off to another part of the blue team's table, where another golem walks around aimlessly, this one a panda. Once they meet, they continue to play and chase each other around.

Seeing her creation in action as well lifts Barbara's spirit. She could barely contain her squeal.

"Hah! They're playing!"

And of course, Diana's unicorn eventually follows. It prances close to the two golems and the three get along quite well.

Jericho would've joined Hannah and Barbara in enjoying the lovely sight had Diana not pulled him away to fulfil her promise. Rather than using the three agile golems for entertainment, Diana keeps referring to them for precious reference in explaining white magic to Jericho. It's overwhelming—the vastness of what she's telling him—and he's forced to ask her to repeat on some occasions.

However, Jericho soon becomes distracted when he spots a fourth figure on the edge of his vision. It's his cat golem, it'd walked over from his table to here.

While all of the blue team is distracted, Jericho is the only one who notices its presence. But not wanting to miss Diana's insightful instructions, he ignores the golem, just in time to catch a very vital information he'd regret to miss.

"That's why I recommend keeping an eye on your golem; horribly constructed golems sometimes have the impulse to assimilate more materials into its body to fix its deformities".

Jericho feels his heart skip a beat.

"By that do you mean…"

"By destroying other golems and absorbing their materials works for them", says Diana. "So take my advice and go to your golem before we continue".

Just as she says that, an awful cry splits the peace. It came from Hannah and Barbara.

Diana and Jericho turn just in time to see chaos have descended on the previously peaceful blue golems. Jericho's cat golem has pounced on the golems and began attacking them, its feline fangs bared with violence in its mind.

What follows is something too gruesome to describe. The four could only stare in petrified silence as the cat golem does to the three golems what Kronos did to the Olympian gods in Greek mythology, except this time there's no regurgitation involved.

The result? Hannah, Barbara, and Diana are now without their golems, with Hannah's being the most completely destroyed, and Jericho's golem is thrice its original size, having assimilated a good portion of its preys' clay into its body. It now lies in hibernation, having satisfied its appetite.

Barbara's distressed cry catches the attention of the rest of the class. Various students turn to look. They gasp in horror at the miserable sight. Meanwhile, Hannah's jaw is agape and she's speechless. While Diana and Barbara's golems suffered their fair share of damage, Hannah's is ruined beyond recognition, with many of its clay assimilated to the now full cat or left as a puddle on the table. Hannah's golem was after all the first to fall.

Hannah tries to speak, but they come out brokenly.

"I… my… the golem…"

Jericho's face is already white with horror, but he loses even more colour when Hannah turns to glare at him with a black raises her clenched fists. At the sight, the wizard backs away until he's cornered to a table.

"You!" shouts Hannah. "You _murdered_ my golem!"

His wit escaping him, he resorts to horrible excuses.

"I-I didn't do that, my golem did that!"

"What kind of dumbass answer is that?" Hannah jabs her finger at his chest repeatedly. "It's _your_ golem so it's _your_ responsibility! I haven't got my golem scored and now it's ruined!"

"And neither does Diana and Barbara but they're not _that_ upset about it!"

"That's because their golems aren't a puddle of clay on the table! _I_ have to start from scratch!"

Hannah drags him by the collar of his shirt back to the blue team's table.

"You're going to make my golem for me!"

"But—"

"Your golem's fine, mine isn't. I'm not taking 'no' for an answer", Hannah hisses with pure venom in her voice.

Jericho could feel the stares they're garnering from their curious neighbours, and he quickly grows as embarrassed as he's scared. Seeing that resisting will create more commotion and thus more attention, the young wizard follows the girl's will helplessly as she drags him back to the table.

"I can help you remake it, Hannah", offers the worried Diana.

But Hannah declines almost immediately. While their damages aren't as dire, Diana and Barbara's golems still need to be fixed. They will waste precious time if they help Hannah rebuild her own. And of course, the fact that Hannah specifically wants Jericho's blood also plays a part in her decision.

"No. We'll be fine", Hannah replies softly to Diana. But that softness crumbles from her voice when she turns back to Jericho and asks, " _Won't_ we?"

"Oh, boy, yeah", he replies while holding a thumbs up and an unhappy smile, though there's also a single tear at the corner of his eye.

W _hy does this have to happen with everyone looking? I can die of embarrassment..._

While Diana and Barbara are busy patching up their own golems, Jericho helps Hannah remake hers from scratch. Not wanting to waste material, he scoops the remains of her previous golem from the table.

He grimaces. _Waste not, want not._

The clay is stuck between the seams of the wood, making his work harder.

"Oh God, this is like a crime scene", he says miserably, holding one hand to his mouth as if to stop himself from gagging.

"I didn't pay you to complain", Hannah scolds.

"You didn't pay me anything".

The two tries their best to remake the golem together, but with the teacher coming close to scoring the golems, heart-gripping panic begins to fill their heads, trembling their hands and dulling their focus. And, working together only proves to be a handicap. Both Hannah and Jericho can't seem to find an agreeable pace and end up stepping on each other's foot both literally and proverbially over and over again.

"That's the arms, you idiot. Put them where they belong!" Hannah yells.

"It's not like you made it distinguishable from its legs! They're all short stubby appendages, indistinguishable to the others, unlike what a red panda really looks like" Retorts the wizard. Immediately, he regrets even trying to argue and shuts his mouth in horror.

"What did you say?!"

"N–nothing, ma'am!"

The bell marking the end of the session rings grimly, and the two's hearts collectively skip a beat.

The teacher takes her place at the front of the class and addresses the whole class.

"Time's up. Gather your golems at the front and don't forget to destroy them once I have it scored. A golem drains its user's magic continuously to fuel its movements. For adults that'd be no problem, but you youngsters will drop cold if you let your golem roam around unattended like house cats! So don't keep your golems like they're pets! Destroy them! I mean it!"

The students begin to move in droves to the front of the class and lay their golems on the teacher's desk in an orderly manner. The occupied Jericho trusts her golem to Diana to submit.

Diana is weary at first, but she's relieved to find the cat golem docile, its appetite sated. The only qualm she has is how exponentially heavier it is than before.

One by one the teacher grades the golems and one by one the students leave the classroom with lunch in mind until only a handful remains. Among those who stay are Barbara and Diana, who tries to plead to the teacher on their friends' behalf for extra time.

Diana and Barbara return to Jericho and Hannah with a mixture of emotions.

"She's giving you 10 minutes, but we're not allowed to help", explains Diana.

The extra time is enough of a blessing, and the pair resumes their work with renewed vigour. Had there been time, Hannah would've showered Diana with hugs and kisses for the help, but time isn't kind to the two, so they continue their work while Diana and Barbara take their leave.

Now the class is completely empty save for the pair and the teacher. But after about 5 minutes of waiting, the teacher excuses herself out of the classroom for an 'indefinite coffee break', no doubt bored from the wait and the grating noise of the pair's arguments. In that way, Jericho and Hannah finished the golem while the teacher wasn't around.

Breath bated and hands dirtied from the clay, witch and wizard backs away to assess their work.

Before them is an abomination—a hybrid of a red panda and a cat. It might sound not bad on paper, like the formidable centaur of Greek mythology, but here the size proportion of the two are different in that it makes the cat's body slim while the upper-half of the red panda is too fat. The imbalance in weight makes it wobble with the lightest blow of the wind. Evidently, there's confusion in the creation process.

Seeing the abomination, Hannah collapses on the floor and wails in grief. "Why did we make two different animals?"

Jericho grimaces and covers his mouth with a hand, as if trying to stop a stench from making him gag.

He says, "well, as Diana said, the true value is in the usefulness. We don't have time to wallow in grief; you have one last thing to do".

Hannah begrudgingly stands to her feet and glares at him with silent contempt written in her eyes.

Apparently, it's wise if it came from Diana but not when it comes from him.

Nonetheless, she complies begrudgingly. She readies her wand and casts the animation spell onto the golem.

Magic weaves and seeps into the clay. It begins to move. Its head careens sideways and its mouth gape open, revealing broken set teeth and long, hanging tongue. Beyond its throat is death-like blackness, and its eyes are naught but an abyss of despair, eliciting even more grimacing and wincing from the pair.

Hannah looks to her wand miserably. "W-why does it look so bad? I did the spell like before!"

"In any case, time's up. This is what you're submitting, Hannah".

"It's all your fault!" Hannah wails. "My golem was perfect and yours had to ruin it!"

At this point, the exhausted Jericho can only turn the other cheek at her complaints. He sighs and ignores her and instead grabs the golem and carries it over to the teacher's desk.

But the abominable golem has other plans. Out of the sudden, it bites Jericho's fingers so violently he drops the golem. The golem lands and tumbles on a nearby table, all while the wizard grieves.

"It bit me!" he cries in distress, rubbing his bitten fingers furiously.

Without warning, the abomination runs to a full gallop, its limp appendages flailing in the wind. It leaps from the edge of the table and pounces at Hannah with clay fangs bared.

It would've driven its fangs home had Jericho not intercept the golem's flight with, ironically, a clay pot, and promptly finds a lid to shut it with.

"It appears it has inherited the cat's hostility!" he declares.

Hannah looks at him with wide eyes. "Oh, you think so? I didn't notice it at first— OF COURSE I CAN SEE ITS VIOLENT!"

His hands occupied holding the pot, Jericho took the unfiltered brunt of Hannah's deafening cry head on. His ears ring for a good few seconds.

"Now", Hannah says. "How do we submit a golem like this to the teacher?"

"What if we just leave it locked in the pot and let the teacher handle it?" suggests Jericho. He raises the pot and studies it. "Do you reckon it'll hold if I just leave it—"

Just as Jericho suggests that, the golem abomination rams against the inside of the pot. The surprising force makes the pot slip from Jericho's hold. It falls to the floor and shatters to small pieces while the golem comes barrelling across the floor.

"D-don't let it escape!" cries Hannah.

The two quickly brandish their wands, but alas, the golem makes a swift exit from the classroom. By the time the horrified pair reaches the classroom's threshold, the golem is already at the other end of the hallway. It takes a sharp turn in an intersection and vanishes out of their sight completely.

And then, a bone-chilling scream echoes down the hallway where the golem went.

"A golem!"

"Ouch! It tried to bite me!"

"What the hell! Who made it? So irresponsible!"

It's at that moment the reality of what they've done descends on Jericho and Hannah. Their legs buckle underneath them and they slump to the floor, their soul escaping their gaping mouths.

"This is bad, we _have_ to catch it", Jericho says. "Imagine what would happen if it runs to someone and attacks them horribly!"

"Oh no… if that happens…"

Jericho feels a chill running the back of his spine. He grimaces sorrowfully and says, "We'd be held responsible and the teacher could fail us from this class! Oh no, I can't afford to fail any classes! I just can't!"

"Worse", Hannah replies miserably. "Imagine the news and rumours that would spread; a daughter of the proud England family, made a man-killing golem abomination! My family's name could be ruined!"

Evidently, the two have a very skewed list of priorities. But however skewed their priorities are, at least they fuel them with the energy to give chase.

However, the two stop on their track once they realize they're both running in opposite directions.

"The golem went that way, Hannah. Let's go!"

"Yeah, but Diana went that way, to our room!"

As if reading his mind, Hannah rests her hands on her hips indignantly and yells, "are you crazy? I'm not facing off against that animal on my own!

* * *

**Epilogue**

The cafeteria is busiest at this hour of lunch. No sane—or hungry—student would skip on such an important activity in the academy's daily routinity. So it's confusing and no less suspicious to see Akko ignoring her lunch to return to her room early, carrying with her an equally suspicious looking bag.

The impulsive witch couldn't resist checking the bag's contents, not before checking her surroundings for any prying eyes. Luckily for Akko, with most of the school currently in the cafeteria, the hallway is awfully quiet.

She unzips the bag to look at its content. Inside is crudely made golem, Akko's golem. Evidently, the accident forced her to remake her golem rushedly. It's not the Shiny Chariot golem she wanted, but she loves it regardless.

"I can't believe the teacher told us to destroy our golems, and no one even disagrees!" remarks Akko. "But rest assured, Lemmy, I'm not going to destroy you! I'm sure Sucy and Lotte will understand and let me keep it once I explained it well. You're too cute to be rejected!"

Akko freezes when she hears something coming down the hallway. She didn't expect someone to be out here instead of the cafeteria. She hastily zips her bag shut and hides it behind her.

To her complete surprise, it's no student nor teacher that rounds the corner but a golem, no more than the size of a house cat. It rounds the corner in full gallop and so it crashes onto Akko's feet and comes barreling across the floor, eliciting a surprised yelp from Akko.

"Woah! Hey! Watch where you're going little guy!"

Akko goes on her knees to help the fallen golem up. Curious, Akko leans closer to meet the golem eye to eye and starts conversing with it.

"Now where were you going, hm? Are you lost, little fella? Do you need help?"

But the golem replies to her kindness by scratching at her eye with its bear-like paw, eliciting a horrific cry from Akko.

"Why my eye? Why is it _always_ my eye?" she wails woefully as she writhes on the floor, all while the golem bites at her calf without restraint.

The irritated Akko recoves and grabs the golem in a tight choke to stop it from hurting her. She points at it threateningly and says,

"Listen here, bucko, I don't take kindly to—"

The golem hisses at her malevolently in reply.

"Oh yeah? Well I oughta—"

Before Akko can finish, the golem chomps at Akko's pointed finger, eliciting a painful yelp. Akko quickly flails her arm around trying to shake the golem off. In the struggle, Akko loses her balance and tumbles into a door leading to a dark and narrow maintenance room where fairy workers store their tools.

The fall sends Akko barreling into the narrow room and across the floor. In the chaos, she loses grip of her bag and it tumbles across the floor, spilling its contents. Akko's books and stationeries clatter in a cringing cacophony. But more importantly, Lemmy too falls out of the bag and lands on the floor with a thud.

Despite being in no better position herself—sprawled on the floor with a golem chewing her finger—Akko worries for her golem more than herself.

"Lemmy! Are you okay?"

Lemmy stands up lethargically but otherwise seems unharmed.

Akko sighs in relief. She then returns her attention to the abominable golem, that little panic-maker. It's been chewing on her finger this whole time, refusing to let go for even a second.

However, before the two can resume their fight, they freeze in place at the sound of someone's fast approach down the hallway. With Lemmy exposed, it'll be a nightmare if whoever's out finds them.

Still on the floor and with no time to get up and reach for the door, Akko uses her feet to close the door shut. Then, she grabs the violent golem and holds it in a tight embrace to stop it from making any noise.

Akko thinks she'd have her hand bitten even more for her attempt to silence the golem. But to her surprise, the golem suddenly turns passive. In fact, the previously violent and bold golem is now trembling and cowering in her embrace, afraid of whatever is out there making that ruckus.

Curious, Akko presses her ears to the door to hear what's going on outside. Though muffled, she can discern a group of people talking.

"You freaking idiot!" one of them yells. It's Hannah's voice. Akko has heard her enraged voice enough to recognize it immediately. "We lost it! Did you see where it goes?"

"It went this way, I swear I saw the golem running this way!" replies another, but Akko barely recognizes this one.

"Calm down, you two, let's think about this first", interjects another, which Akko recognizes to be Diana's voice.

Curious, Akko keeps on listening.

"This can't be happening. This is your fault!" Hannah moans "We have to destroy it before it ruins my reputation"

"I don't want it to escape as well, Hannah", rebukes the unknown voice. "I don't want to fail in class".

" _And_ before it hurts someone?" Diana scolds the two irritably, to which they quickly apologize and agree.

Akko scowls at the golem in her embrace. This is definitely the golem they're referring to. Akko just needs to open the door and hand the golem to them and she'd be done with this violent golem.

But the way the golem looks back at her with its beady eyes give her second thoughts. They stare deep through her soul, and suddenly Akko doesn't feel so sure about herself.

Akko strokes her chin as she engages in thought. Soon after, she grins upon coming upon a conclusion.

She grabs the abominable golem and Lemmy and shoves both into her bag, following with adding her books and stationeries to hide them even further.

Before Akko closes the bag, she says,

"Kindly don't eat my Lemmy, okay? Or I'll… eat you for lunch myself".

The abominable golem nods fervently in reply. Darkness envelops its vision as Akko zips the bag shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave a review. Your feedback is much appreciated and is always valuable for me as a writer. I'll see you soon!


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